Can opening key



Jan. 12, 1954 w. COLVIN 2,665,821

CAN OPENING KEY Filed Nov. 20, 1950 TNVENTOR. WILL/AM 00/. w/v

ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 12, 1954 UNITED srArss CAN OPENING KEY Application November 20, 1950, Serial N0. 196,621

2 Claims.

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in can opening key and method of forming same. More particularly, the invention relates to a can-opening key adapted to be welded onto a can end or some other accessible location on a tear strip can, said key being so attached that it may be disconnected manually with a minimum of effort and then employed to wind the tear strip of the can body and thus open the can.

Conventional can-opening keys are formed of a wire shank bent at one end to form a handle and provided at the opposite end with a rectangular slot for the reception of the protruding tongue of the tear strip, with means for welding or otherwise attaching the key to the can during transportation and storage prior to opening, and with means for weakening the key between the tear strip slot and the point of attachment so that the consumer may disconnect the key from the can immediately prior to opening the can.

The improvement of the present invention resides in novel structure providing means for attaching the key to the can and weakening the key for disconnection. The invention further relates to a method of forming a key of such character.

With the above and other objects, features and advantages in view, the invention consists in the matters hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan of a key made in accordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the key shown as attached to a can end as the key is being raised to sever the key from said can end;

Fig. 3 is a plan of the die block used in forming said key;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 5-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan of a punch used with said die block; and

Fig. 6 is a section taken substantially along the line 65 of Fig. 5.

As illustrated in the accompanying drawings, a key It is provided for attachment to a can end I I, preferably by welding. Such a key comprises a shank l2 formed of round wire, a handle I 3 integrally formed by bending the wire in a rectangular shape, and an elongated, flattened tail M at the end opposite said handle. Tail portion 84 is provided with a rectangular slot [6 through which fits the tongue of the tear strip of the can, .as is well understood in this art. In order to provide means for weakening the shank a hole ll, which may be circular or some other convenient shape, is punched in the tail portion 14 between slot it and the extremity of the tail. Sufficient stock remains between the circumference of hole I! and the side edges 22 of the tail so that the key will remain on the can during handling prior to the time that the consumer desires to open the can. but the removal of material by punching of hole I weakens the key adjacent the hole so that the key may be readily severed by fracture adjacent the'hole when desired.

In order to facilitate welding of key N) to can end H, it is desirable to provide one or more protuberanceszl projecting from the flattened tail it of the key. Said protuberances 2! perform several functions. One function is that upon application of pressure on the key against the can during welding the protuberances pene trate lacquer or other dielectric material on the can end surface which might otherwise interfere with passage of welding current until said protuberances establish metal-to-metal contact with the can end. Another function of the protuberances is the localization of the passage of welding current in that contact is established through said protuberances and current passes therethrough rather than through some other portion of the key; thus the location of the weld may be accurately controlled.

In accordance with the present invention, two welding protuberances 2| are located in flattened portion :4 between hole ii and. the edges 22 of the shank by depressing the material on either side of hole I? in a transverse bight 23. Thus the material forming protuberances 2i is pressed downward so as to depend from the lower flattened surface i l of the shank and when the key is brought into contact with can end I l, and pressure applied above the area in which the protuberances are located, the protuberances, rather than any other portion of the key, are forced into contact with the can end.

It will be noted that. hole l? and bight 23 are located spaced from the end of the key so that when the consumer lifts handle l3 in order to disconnect the key from the can (see Fig. 2), the extreme anterior portion 2 engages the surface of can end II and becomes a fulcrum for the leverage required to fracture the material.

The formation of shank portion I4 is accomplished in a single stamping operation of a press. It will be assumed that key It has been formed with handle it at one end. Handle l3 thus provides a means for locating the key with respect to the die 31 by reason of the location of a raised boss 32 on the die which is also rectangular and which fits snugly within the rectangular hole in handle [3. Die block 3| and punch 33 are formed with projecting portions 34 and 36 respectively which flatten shank 12 to form flattened portion 14 by pressing the round wire of shank l2 therebetween. Depressed bight 23 is formed by transversely extending rib 3'! in punch 33 and a corresponding hollow 38 in die 3!. Punch 33 is made with a double-acting portion 40 which carries male portions 39 and 4! which simultaneously punch out slot 16 and hole it by coaction with openings 42 and 43 in die 31 after the shank has been flattened. Flattening of shank l2, depression of bight 23 and punching of slot l6 and hole I! are all accomplished in a single stroke of the press.

After formation of handle l3, punch 33 contacts shank l2 and presses the same against die 31 between projection portions 34 and 38 thereby flattening said shank and forming the depressed bight 23. Thereafter by means well understood in the punch art, secondary portion 38 of punch 33 is actuated to punch out slot l6 and hole ii, respectively.

It will be understood that whereas a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described and illustrated, changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a can opening key of the type adapted to be welded to a portion of a can and subsequently severed therefrom immediately prior to usage, said key having a handle and a shank. the improvement comprising an elongated, flattened tail portion on the end of said shank remote from said handle, said tail portion being aperturecl for reception of a tear strip tongue and also separately centrally apertured between the tear strip aperture and the end of said tail portion at a location spaced inwardly from the extremity of said tail, said tail portion being depressed in a pair of transverse bights at either side of said last-mentioned aperture between said last-mentioned aperture and the side edges of i said shank, and a pair of welding protuberances depending from the bottom surface of said tail portion and formed by depressing said bights.

2. A can-opening key formed of round wire into a handle portion and a shank, said shank being flattened approximately the last two-thirds of its length and apertured in a rectangular slot in said flattened portion and provided with a second aperture in said flattened portion substantially midway between said rectangular slot and the end of said key, said flattened portion being depressed in a bight at said second aperture transverse to said shank, and a pair of welding protuberances formed of the material between said second aperture and the side edges of said flattened portion, said protuberances being depressed below the bottom surface of said flattened portion, said key being structurally weakened along said night by removal of material at said second aperture and depression of said bight.

WILLIAM I. COLVIN.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,936,611 Young Nov. 28, 1933 2,047,250 Bardet July 14, 1936 2,258,610 Hothersall Oct. 14, 1941 2,326,191 Zabler Aug. 10, 1943 2,348,542 Hodgson May 9, 1944 2,365,100 OBrien Dec. 12, 1944 2,478,962 Ziehmer, Jr. Aug. 16, 1949 

